Mainstream WeeklyTwo different views are in rage as for the current Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. First, it is an attack on the Constitution, religious freedoms and the federal structure of India. Secondly, it does not infringe upon the freedoms of any religious community and the proposed changes are necessary to correct flaws in the current law. But inference should be drawn by going through some of the important provisions of the proposed Bill to know the fact, whether it is going to change the very nature of the Waqf institution indeed.
The Waqf Act, 1995 consists of 113 Sections out of those 44 Sections in the proposed Bill either by insertion or omission are going to be affected. Though, the Waqf Act 1995 was drastically amended in 2013 and within such a short span of time, just in 2024, it requires changes again. The proposed Section 3C (1) provides that